Machinery Update | November / December 2020

32 MACHINERY UPDATE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Installation News
End of line purchasing decision
has paid off in these C-19 times
Premium Snacks
manufacturer Burts
Snacks has just
completed the installation
of a complete end of line
pack handling and Alvey
palletisation solution from
Scott Automation.
Producing a wide range
of bag sizes and multipacks,
in a diverse range of regular
cases, display packs and
SRP cases, Burts needed
to increase individual line
efficiencies, reduce manual
handling, reduce extensive
internal pallet movements and
increase pallet stack quality
through the supply chain.
The project’s objective
was to provide a palletising
solution for the rapidly
filling Roborough site, with
a phased installation that
did not disrupt production.
The technology had to ensure
operator and packaging
materials access to each
line while minimising the
transport distance of
unwrapped pallet loads.
“From my perspective
the food safe approach to
installation facilitated
a seamless install and the ease
of maintenance from a hygiene
perspective post install is
excellent,” says Maxine
Stringer, group technical
manager at Burts Snacks.
Eight production lines
producing up to 2,400 cases
per hour are linked to the
system with planned expansion
for two more lines seen for
the future. And as Burts is
a multi customer producer,
the solution handles multiple
case sizes, empty pallet types,
and various stacking patterns
to deliver an output of up to
40 pallets per hour.
In operation, cases
are collected from each
production line, merged onto
high level transport conveyors
and delivered to a central
sortation, buffering and
palletisation area based on
the Alvey Multi-line principle.
Each specified empty pallet
is dispensed for the high-level
Alvey palletiser to build each
SKU at four layers per minute.
Completed pallet stacks are
then carefully wrapped,
The system has coped with the huge operational changes needed this year
labelled and delivered to
the on-site warehouse.
The system was installed in
a small area at the back of the
empty pallet and packaging
store, with all the sortation
and buffering at a higher level
on a mezzanine floor.
“After many months of
careful consideration, looking
at robots and layer solutions,
we felt the Scott offering gave
us what we needed,” explains
Burts Snacks’ operations
manager, Stuart Watkins.
“Once the final design was
completed, the Burts Snacks’
on-site team worked closely
and collaboratively with the
Scott project and installation
team throughout.
“The successful end result
was achieved with the complete
buy in from the Burts Snacks’
operational team with a
significant up lift in output and
reduced supermarket returns,”
he continues. “And with the
huge operational changes
required this year, the decision
to install Scott’s Alvey Multi-line
was hugely beneficial!”
T 01384 210278
W www.scottautomation.co.uk
An extra-wide pallet stretch wrapping machine has ensured
load stability for insulation board while being operator safe
Yorkshire Packaging Systems
(YPS) has supplied and
installed a rotary arm pallet
wrapping machine into
Xtratherm’s Co Meath factory
in Ireland that has been
specially developed to
handle insulation board
economically and safely.
For many years Xtratherm
has wrapped its pallets of
insulation board by hand
but were looking to automate
the process with a stretch
wrapping machine.
The challenge was to find a
YPS supplied this wrapping unit from TOSA
system large enough to handle
its entire product range,
the largest of which
measured 1200 mm
x 3000 mm, while
keeping the wrapping
costs per pallet low.
To meet these
needs, YPS supplied
its extra wide
automatic rotating
arm stretch wrapping
machine built by
TOSA. Its larger frame
meant that the film
dispensing arm could
completely encircle every size
of pallet with ease,
while the pallets could remain
stationary during the process
to guarantee load stability.
The perimeter of the machine
was fully fenced for operator
safety and a light curtain
sensor was integrated to
detect any human entering
the machine, which would
initiate an emergency stop.
The equipment also boasts a
high stretch capability of 250%
to achieve more coverage from
each roll of pallet wrap.
T 01924 441355
W www.yps.co.uk